two truths, one lie by @sheriffandsteel
"She's my daughter." Beth means to stop there but the next words slip out of their own accord, one more truth free of charge. "And I'll kill anyone who tries to touch her."
Beth escapes the prison with Judith and searches for their family. Being alone with a baby and trying to keep them both safe from the dead and worse, the living, is no easy feat. When she is offered sanctuary from an unlikely source she doesn't trust it, but she still takes it.
"What do you want?" her voice doesn't shake, Beth isn't sure how as she feels like she is shaking like a leaf but her voice comes out steady and cool. It reminds her of Daryl, as much of a hothead as he can be, when they are in danger he can keep his voice steadier than anyone when facing trouble.
"Your shit." the man in the middle says calmly, taking a step forward heedless of the gun in Beth's hand. "Then you."
The world sways and Beth conjures up Daryl's blank face when people threatened him and forces her face to wear the same features.
"You can't have us." Beth drops her hand from Judith whose cries are providing a fitting soundtrack to this moment and draws her machete in her right hand. She hopes that these people take it as a sign she is willing to fight hard and not as a signal that the gun is empty. She has never killed someone before but as she stares into the remorseless eyes of the people before her Beth knows that she will tonight. If that is what it takes for Judith and her to walk out of there she'll do it. Until the bitter end, she will fight, no matter what it costs her.
She thinks that the man before her is smiling but she can't tell through the dirt and the darkness. A movement flickers in the corner of her eye and Beth's heart sinks as she remembers her back is unprotected. She has been so worried about the people before her she hasn't spared a second to worry about watching her back.
To her surprise, the people before her don't look smug to watch their friends surrounding her. One is inching slowly to the woods and the others are stepping backward.
"You said she was alone." the leader hisses to the one on the right whose eyes are so wide Beth can see the whites from where she stands.
Before she can wonder too much at their reactions or fear what is behind her several loud shots ring out. They are loud enough to be heard over Judith's cries and Beth's ears ache from all the noise. Blood rains on the pavement as the four people before her crumble to the ground. Some of the splatters reach Beth's boots and she blinks at them for a moment before spinning around, her ankle protesting at the movement. She keeps the gun steady and the machete high as she surveys this new group of problems in the quickly fading light.
Three men, two women. Some primal fear deep inside Beth lessens at the sight of the women although it doesn't fade completely. Four of them are holding the guns that killed the people behind her and saved Beth and she feels a heady mix of gratitude and fear. The fear wins out and that keeps her arms steady as the fifth member of this new group scans her up and down.
Beth can't help but wonder what he sees, easy pickings like the group he just took out clearly did? Someone weak and willing to cow to them because they saved her life? Certainly not as someone to fear or he wouldn't be smiling at her like that, letting his weapon of choice rest casually against his leather-clad shoulder as if he'd just hit a home run and could saunter around the bases instead of the usual sprint.
"Well now," he tuts stopping just out of reach of her machete should she choose to swing it. As if she would be stupid enough to do so. Beth can see two of the guns pointed at her. She wonders if both shots would be meant for her or if one would be intended for Judith. The thought makes her sick and she wants to curl around the little girl in protection but that would mean lowering one of her weapons and Beth doesn't dare risk that, not with guns on her and the man before her.
His eyes flicker from her gun to the machete and he smiles at her like he's the big bad wolf from the story and he wants to show her how sharp his teeth are.
"Is that any way to thank your Saviors?"